Simi Valley Sex Offenders Sue for the Right to Garishly Decorate Their Houses for Halloween

For registered sex offenders in Southern California, Halloween is pretty much the worst holiday on the calendar, since it serves as a potent reminder to their neighbors that they can never, ever, under any circumstances participate in the ritual candy canvassing that makes Halloween simultaneously so magical and so menacing. A group of registered sex offenders in Simi Valley, however, is hoping to ease some of the restrictions that the community has placed on their Halloween activities, most notably a law that prohibits convicted sex offenders from putting up Halloween decorations and outdoor lighting on their homes.

Sex offenders listed on the Megan’s Law website are also required to put signs on their front doors (with letters at least an inch tall) proclaiming, “No candy or treats at this residence.” A little less than a month after Simi City approved the new restrictions on sex offenders’ ability to get into the Halloween spirit, a group of five registered sex offenders, three of their wives, and two of their children represented by attorney Janice Bellucci have sued the city, arguing that the sign and decorative restrictions violate their First Amendment rights. City officials have argued that the restrictions, closely modeled on similar restrictions in other SoCal communities such as Riverside County and the city of Orange, were preemptive, since none of the 119 registered Simi Valley sex offenders (67 of which have been convicted of very serious crimes) has been party to crimes involving children on Halloween, according to police. What’s more, Simi Valley has no records of any such crime involving children occurring in the city during the annual Halloween perambulation.